Strength and Memory
by Radical.2
Summary: "He was scary before he got old," muttered Draco, grabbing his son's ear and attempting to drag him out the door. "Draco!" cried his wife. You have to show your son love and affection!" "Well, I'm not goin', Mum," Scorpius said, crossing his arms.


**J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.**

Draco Malfoy gracefully walked down the grand stairs of Malfoy Manor, noticing that his wife and son were having what seemed to be an arguement near the front door.

"I don't wanna go!" whined Scorpius, clinging to a railing on the stairs as tight as he could. "The old people scare me!"

"Your grandfather is one of those _old people_, Scorpius," Astoria reminded him.

"He was scary _before _he got old," muttered Draco, grabbing his son's ear and attempting to drag him out the door.

"Draco!" cried his wife. You have to show your son _love _and _affection_!"

"Well, I'm not goin', Mum," Scorpius said, crossing his arms and glaring at him.

Draco gave Astoria a pleading look, and she rolled her eyes.

She started to say, "Not even for-"

"What kind of candy? They had better have Licorice Wands, Mum."

"Of course they will, honey."

"Great," Draco interrupted them sarcastically, "Can we go now? I think he wants to go more than me, and I just want to get it over with."

"He's your father, Draco! He did a few bad things, but-"

"Fourty years in Azkaban, Astoria! He bloody _killed_ people! He was such an-" Draco yelled.

Astoria clapped her hands over her son's ears, replying coldly, "You're setting a bloody bad example for him."

"Can we just go now?" Scorpius squirmed out of his mother's tight grip.

They all took hands and apparated into St. Mungo's, level nine: The Nursing Home.

Scorpius awkwardly stared at the floor, trying not to look at the dieseased, mad, old people.

"Mum!" he whispered in her ear, "That guy has purple tentacles for hair, like the Giant Squid!"

"Okay, honey," she replied, her voice equally soft.

They walked down the hall, coming to a halt at the last door on the left, the one with the nameplate that read _Lucius M_.

The door was open just a crack, and Draco slowly pushed it open, walking inside.

"Hello, Father," he said, staring him right in the eyes with no hint of emotion.

"...Draco," he replied curtly, after a moment, turning to his grandson and his daughter-in-law. "Hello-"

"Hello, Lucius. Oh, sorry, I interrupted you...This is Scorpius, our son, remember him? He's six now," Astoria said.

The old man's eyes glazed over, and he answered, "I...I think I might have seen him a while ago..."

"It was last week, father," Draco said, frowning.

The light memory charm the Ministry had cast on him was affecting him more and more, thought Astoria with sympathy, she almost felt sorry for him.

"Do you have any candy?" Scorpius asked, standing tip-toe and leaning forwards.

"Yes, in one of the drawers, I think. I won bingo last...week? Maybe last night, not sure."

Astoria said to her son, "Right there, on the table."

Draco sat next to his father, saying, "How are you?"

Lucius grimaced painfully, irritated at how poor his memory was.

"It...It just annoys me, not remembering it all...If only Narcissa could help me. Where is she?"

Draco winced a little, replying with a catch in his throat, "You don't remember, father? You don't remember that..."

"That what?"

"That she died."

"Oh..." Lucius frowned, trying to get anything, anything at all from his memory about her, but it was just gone.

He had even forgotten what she had looked like.

Just then, a woman walked into the room.

She had long, gray hair and was bare-foot in a an old nightgown.

"Would you braid my hair, dear?" she asked Astoria.

She and Draco shared a nervous glance, and she answered, "Why don't we get a nurse to help you?"

"Okay..." she said, walking around the room, not even flinching at everyone's stares.

Lucius's elbow "accidentally" brushed the security button, not going unnoticed by Draco or Astoria.

"Would you braid my hair, little boy?" the woman asked Scorpius, who had four Licorice Wands in his hand.

Everyone watched in amazement as he set down his candy and replied, "Do you have a hairband?"

"What's that?" she asked, confused.

"Er..."

Astoria swiftly summoned a rubber band, handing it to Scorpius, who nodded and turned to the woman.

The small boy took her hair gently and braided it, quite intricately, tying it and saying, "Done."

"Thank you," she replied, walking out of the room as suddenly as she had come, just before an Auror burst in.

"What is it?" he asked quickly, pointing his wand at them.

"Er..." Astoria trailed off.

"Well?"

"It was an accident," Lucius explained, waving the man away.

After some small talk the family apparated home, to Malfoy Manor.

Scorpius ran up to his room, pockets bulging and mouth full.

Draco started to head to his study when Astoria whispered, "Draco."

"What?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Do you ever wonder...Do you think I'll ever end up like her?"

"Who?"

"The woman? From St. Mungo's?"

"Oh, her. You would _never _end up like that, Story," he told her.

"Why not?" she replied, her lips quivering.

"Because...you're strong. You would fight it, vanguish it into bits, I just know it," Draco replied, snaring his arm around her waist as they started to walk up the stairs.

"Maybe you're right," she said, not really believing it.

"Come on, Story! You know it, you know that it's never happen to someone like you!"

"Really?"

"Of course! Don't think about such things, Astoria."

"You're right," she sighed, walking away.

"Oh, and Astoria?" he called.

"What now?"

"If that _did _happen, I'd help you too."

"Thanks."


End file.
